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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26803513">Light Will Shine Again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nerd3/pseuds/Random_Nerd3'>Random_Nerd3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JatP Whumptober 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of Attempted Harrassment, Alex And Carrie Are Friends, Alex And Carrie Take On The World, Alex Cares About Carrie, Alex is a good friend, Angst, Caleb Covington Sucks, Carrie Wilson Has PTSD, Carrie Wilson Redemption, Carrie Wilson Whump, Carrie Wilson-centric, Dark, Flashbacks, Fluffy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Now Multi-Chapter, Please read with caution, Possible Triggering Content, Protective!Alex (Julie and The Phantoms), Sort Of, Trevor Wilson Is A Bad Father, Whumptober 2020, but he tries, he is concerned, heed the tags, manhandled, soft alex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:01:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,355</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26803513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nerd3/pseuds/Random_Nerd3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When something horrible happens to Carrie she finds solace in the most surprising place possible, the drummer from Julie's band, Alex. The two bond and quickly become close friends, but as Carrie begins to heal she quickly realizes things aren't always as they seem... Especially if Caleb Covington has anything to do with it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex &amp; Carrie Wilson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JatP Whumptober 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>225</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello,</p><p>This piece will be darker than most of my works because it is a Whumptober prompt fill. Proceed with caution please!</p><p>Thanks,</p><p>~R</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ever since he danced on stage with Carrie Alex felt like something was off with her. She seemed too… </span>
  <em>
    <span>fake</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Like someone was controlling her music style and her choreography. He knew the other guys didn’t understand it, but Alex could just tell Carrie needed help. He could hear it in her lyrics, in the way she wrote. In the way she carried (pun unintended) herself when she was performing versus hanging out with friends. He could see it in the passion and love she had for dance, using her free studio time to improv lyrical numbers when she was alone. He recognised the looks of self-hate and disdain Carrie would give herself in the mirror after sobbing in the bathroom in the aftermath of a stressful Dirty Candy practice. Luke and Reggie didn’t understand it... how Alex could feel sympathy for the daughter of the man who stole their legacy… but he could. Alex understood what it was like, living up to impossible standards set by parents. Sure, he had a different set of circumstances growing up but his life pre-death and Carrie’s current life were all too similar for him to ignore. This was how he often found himself waiting for her to return home from school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Carrie,” Alex said in greeting as the blonde slammed the front door shut behind her. She seemed… tired today, like school had exhausted her more than usual. Her make-up was streaked across her face and, despite being pulled into a ponytail her hair was all disheveled and knotted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad!” Carrie called out to the empty house. When Bobby - </span>
  <em>
    <span>Trevor</span>
  </em>
  <span> - didn’t give her a response she choked back a sob. Alex frowned, something was definitely wrong. It wasn’t like Carrie to come home from school in tears. Usually she’d be planning choreography for Dirty Candy’s next performance, or on the phone gossiping with a friend. She dropped her bag by the front door and made a beeline straight for her kitchen. Confused, Alex poofed in the room just in time to see her throw up into the sink and wash the evidence down the drain. Alex inched closer to her and could see the start of a handprint bruise forming on her neck. If he wasn’t a ghost he’d throw up himself. “Fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>bastard</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Carrie swore as she sunk to the kitchen floor, wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling them close to her chest. Alex wanted to help her, wanted to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He reached out to try to place his hand on her shoulder, but he fell to the floor himself as he passed right through her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Carrie, are you okay?” Alex asked, despite the obvious answer being </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He watched helplessly as wave after wave of sobs crashed through her body until all she was able to was choke out weak sounding pleas for help. Alex sat next to her, he would’ve been close enough for their knees to touch if he’d been solid. Carrie’s phone went off, hundreds of notifications from her numerous social media accounts blasting through the silence of the kitchen. She powered off her phone, then tossed it across the room. Her phone screen shattered against the tiled floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t ask for it,” Carrie said, like she was trying to convince herself of something. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>, right?” She asked, voice wavering as she straightened her back, trying to put on a brave face. Alex winced when he saw the now obvious bruising around her neck at her chest. The feeling of bile curdling in his gut started to bubble up his neck. It was his turn to throw up, he stood up just in time to double over the sink and spit a gross looking mix between normal barf and black goo into Carrie’s sink. He reached over the counter and turned on the faucet. Alex didn’t notice Carrie standing up behind him. “I know you, don’t I?” Carrie asked as she tried to act normal. Alex froze and slowly turned around, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can see me?” Alex asked, swallowing thickly. Carrie stared at him in disbelief,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I can see you. I’m not an idiot, aren’t you that drummer from Julie’s band?” Carrie asked, failing at acting like she didn’t just have an emotional breakdown. Alex awkwardly scratched his arm, wondering if he could pass this all off as a strange dream or something. Dramatically waving his hands Alex said,</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I am not the drummer from Julie’s ghost band,” and tried to poof away. Key word being </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span>, because all he managed to do was flicker and reappear a few feet to the right. Carrie hesitated,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You look like someone I know. Not uh… not from… hang on,” Carrie said as she grabbed her cracked phone off the ground. She powered it back on and ignored the plethora of notifications waiting for her. Alex inched a little bit closer to her as she flicked through a few pictures and turned her phone around. “I’ve seen your face before in a picture at my aunt’s house. Alex, right?” She asked as she showed Alex the picture. The picture was of Carrie with a small girl who had blonde hair and green eyes, if he didn’t know any better it was a spitting image of his little sister. But that didn’t make any sense at all, because Izzy would’ve been an adult by now, like Bobby. “That’s my niece,” Carrie explained, “Alexandria.” She showed him a few more pictures of the two of them together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t uh…” Alex said intelligently as he trailed off. “What?” He asked, blinking in shock. Carrie nodded,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She looks like you. I don’t understand how though. Wait… how long have you been stalking me?” Carrie asked, and the uncomfortable feeling returned as Alex shifted his feet. He drummed his fingers against his side as he admitted,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since you got home… I wasn’t stalking you! I’m a ghost, not a hologram. I get bored...” He said as he tried to justify his reasoning. “I was just concerned!” Carrie narrowed her eyes and shrugged on her jacket, preventing him from seeing the handprint on her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why? Julie hates me,” Carrie bit out as she undid her ponytail, letting her hair fall down her back. Alex hesitated then said,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s true. Friendships fall apart, sure… but from what Julie’s said you guys used to be really close.” He rinsed out his throw up down the sink drain. “The band I was in died of food poisoning… Julie played out cd one day and tada!” He exclaimed, wriggling his fingers. “We appeared in her garage.” Carrie shrugged,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright then Alex. I guess if you’re a hallucination you won’t go around telling people you saw me break down, right?” Alex shook his head,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t. And I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a hallucination.” Suddenly Trevor walked into the kitchen and Alex flickered, unsure if his old bandmate could see him or not. Carrie’s face morphed into concern as he backed out of Trevor’s way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How was school?” Trevor asked without even looking at his daughter, preoccupied by a phone call with someone apparently more important. Carrie glanced at Alex for help, he shrugged in response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“School was fine dad… I’m going up to my room,” She motioned for Alex to follow her and the two of them left Trevor to his own devices.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“School wasn’t fine… was it?” Alex asked once they were finally alone again. Carrie shushed him then peeked out her bedroom door in case her dad followed them upstairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want my dad to know,” she explained as she collapsed onto her bed. Alex decided to drag her desk chair over instead of sitting next to her. He didn’t need another girl to lecture him about boundaries, Julie did that enough. Alex frowned, but didn’t say anything, letting her gather her thoughts. “Can I trust you?” Carrie asked after a few minutes of silence. Alex looked up from his hands and he nodded,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said honestly. Carrie didn’t look like she believed him though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do I know you won’t go telling Julie?” She asked, distrust evident in her voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know how to keep a secret too…” Alex said trailing off, remembering his life before he met the band, before he found his love for music, and before he felt strong enough to come out. Carrie hummed in response then sat up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t ask for it…” Carrie said, voice rushed. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Alex leveled with her, focusing one-hundred percent on Carrie. He placed a hand on her knee and it </span>
  <em>
    <span>stayed</span>
  </em>
  <span> there. She fell into his arms and he wrapped her up in a hug. “I was just there and he was drunk and it was after school so no one was there. I don’t even think he’s a student or anything.” She shuddered in his grasp, gasping for breath as Alex traced circles on her back like Luke used to when he’d panic about something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, hey,” Alex said, trying to keep his own breathing steady. Her anxious energy was starting to blend into his, and not in a good way. “You’re alright Carrie, you’re okay,” Alex comforted, running his hand through her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It didn’t even get that far. Nothing happened I shouldn’t be this much of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>mess</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Carrie blubbered, staining his sweatshirt in tears. Alex froze, suddenly realizing exactly what sort of thing Carrie managed to escape from.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie,” Alex said slowly, not wanting to stress her out further. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Carrie let out another wave of tears and he shrugged off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I -” she started before Alex cut her off with a firm handshake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> your fault,” Alex said, more strongly than he expected. “Whoever that douchebag was, it was him. Not you Carrie.” Carrie shifted, taking off his sweatshirt. He put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Keep it, I’ve got more.” Carrie sniffled again, then hugged the sweatshirt tightly into her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for being so nice to me,” Carrie said as she started to wipe her the dried makeup that was caked to her face. Alex frowned,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?” Carrie shrugged,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. Maybe because I’m mean?” She asked, voice dripping in sarcasam.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t mean to be mean, you don’t have to act like that around me.” Alex said then winced, “not that I’m hitting on you! I mean, I’m gay so you aren’t exactly my type. Plus I sort of have a boyfriend but not really because we haven’t started using labels yet and -” Carrie let out a giggle,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really care that you’re gay Alex,” she said, this time comforting </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Alex gave her a soft smile then felt something tug at his gut and could tell the other guys were looking for him. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>late for a band rehearsal afterall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to be okay until tomorrow?” Alex asked, not sure if he should leave her alone. Carrie nodded as she pulled on his hoodie. She winced when the sweatshirt touchd her bruises.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be waiting. Has Julie showed you guys Mean Girls yet?” Carrie asked, suddenly buzzing with excitment. Alex frowned,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s Mean Girls?” Carrie’s eyes widened in shock,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span> it’s only one of the best movies in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>history</span>
  </em>
  <span> of movies!” Alex grinned, happy to see Carrie excited about something again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I should probably poof back to Julie’s,” Alex said with a hint of guilt in his voice. Carrie stood up and gave him a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go, I’ll be fine,” she said. He still hesitated and she gave him a little shove, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I promise</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Alex really didn’t want to leave her alone, but he knew he’d see her again, so when he felt the familiar tug in his gut he let it pull him to Julie’s garage.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Carrie tries to forget anything ever happened. Unfortunately things don't exactly go her way.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning for attempted sexual assault of a minor! Read with caution!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was after the eighth period and Carrie stayed behind in the music room. She wanted to work on a piano melody for a new Dirty Candy number. The tune had been floating in her mind all day, something different from their usual Katy Perry inspired music. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Maybe that’s what I’m missing,</span>
  <em>
    <span> Carrie mused as she sat at the piano and ran her fingers down the keys. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Something lyrical to contrast with the pop…</span>
  <em>
    <span> As she started to play memories of when she was Julie’s friend started to float through her mind. She slammed the piano cover over the keys, the sound echoing through the empty room. It just wasn’t fair. Carrie worked her ass off all year for Dirty Candy, she built a group of top tier performers from the ground up and Julie performs with some hologram band once and takes everything away the thing Carrie worked so hard to achieve? “Wilsons don’t apologize,” Carrie muttered, repeating the mantra over and over until her tears stopped falling.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Carrie Wilson?” A man asked. Carrie looked up and saw a man knock on the music room’s door frame. He wasn’t one of her teachers, and she didn’t recognize him from the yearbook. “I can always find you again if you need a minute,” he said, gesturing to her disheveled-ness. Carrie wiped away her tears, luckily she wore waterproof mascara, and realized the man was very well put together. If she wasn’t fooling herself she’d say he was some sort of manager.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, uh… now’s fine. How can I help you Mr…” She trailed off, realizing he never introduced himself. The man bowed as he offered her his hand. Introducing himself with a flourish he said,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Covington my dear, Caleb Covington.” Carrie eyed Caleb suspiciously, despite being a showman there was something about him that she didn’t like. Hiding her true suspicion behind a smile Carrie stepped forward and curtsied, not wanting to shake the strange man’s hand. Caleb reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “I’m looking for some new talent in my club.” She took the card and watched as a logo with the letters HGC shimmer on one side, Caleb’s name printed on the other.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why me?” Carrie asked, wondering just what about her performance changed enough for managers needing to track her down at school. Caleb grinned, but a dark shadow crossed his face, Carrie felt the air in the room shift, her skin crawling with goosebumps.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Because Julie and her little band turned down my offer,” Caleb said. With a wave of his hand an invisible force pushed Carrie against the wall. “And I think you’re smarter than them,” Caleb said, stalking close to Carrie. She was frozen, panicked, and unshed tears threatened to roll down her face.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What’re you going to -” Carrie asked, getting cut off by a rough kiss. She worked up a mouth full of saliva and spat it in his face. Caleb wiped his mouth and glared at her. “Let me go!” Carrie insisted, fighting against her invisible bonds. Caleb ignored her though, hands roaming over Carrie’s body. He tsked as he said,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I can see what all the WOW is about.” Carrie growled and felt a surge of energy rush through her. She didn’t know what it was, all she cared about was that Caleb was thrown across the room with a shocked expression on his face. Carrie breathed heavily, eyes wild as she dared Caleb to try anything else. Luckily her sudden burst of power seemed to shake him because Caleb disappeared in a wave of energy, leaving Carrie alone in the music room, shaking to her core.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carrie woke up with a start, her body was soaked in cold sweat and her hair was knotted at the back of her head. She couldn’t help but hope what happened a few nights ago was just a dream. If she wasn’t just almost sexually harassed, as though she didn’t just befriend Julie’s ghost hologram Alex. “Or not…” Carrie muttered as she felt the warmth of Alex’s pink sweatshirt around her. “Okay, okay Carrie… it’s just day by day. WIth any luck, Alex won’t blab about what happened and you won’t be scrutinized by the press. Keep up the appearances,” Carrie said, trying to hype herself up enough to take on the school day. She pushed herself out of the bed and grabbed her bathrobe and towel, walking down the hallway to her bathroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie!” Her dad called up the stairs, “I’ll be gone this weekend! My producer set up a show in New York!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Carrie thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll have more time to figure out how to hide this. It never has been spoken of again.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She checked the clock and saw it was already six-thirty in the morning. If she took a quick shower and skipped breakfast she’d be able to make it to school before the second class period starts. With a sigh she stood and stretched as she opened her door and shouted a response down the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright! Have fun!” Carrie yelled back as she made her way to the bathroom. She shedded Alex’s sweatshirt, not wanting it to get dirty Carrie hung it up on the command hook on the door. With a sigh she turned to face herself in the mirror and could see the obvious bruising starting to form on her collarbone from the dick who thought she was looking for a fun time. Alex had been a literal godsend. He didn’t judge her, he didn’t question her, he just sat for hours and let her </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk</span>
  </em>
  <span>. After a while she got him talking too, it turned out he was a big fan of Dirty Candy and knew almost all of their choreography. Carrie had promised to let him perform with her onstage at her next performance. She pulled off her shirt and her pajama pants then turned on the faucet and let the water steam the mirror, concealing the black and blue splotches of evidence that splattered across her chest. With one final surge of courage Carrie pushed back the shower curtain and let the hot water relax her muscles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes she started to scrub her scalp, then hissed as the warm water pressed against Caleb’s handprint on her chest. “Fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>bastard</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Carrie cursed as Caleb’s haunting laughter echoed in her ears. A choked sob got lost in her throat as she braced a hand against the shower wall and started to shake again. She didn’t tell Alex who did it, she just couldn’t. Caleb had told her he approached Julie’s band with a deal first, which meant they probably knew who he was. She didn’t want Alex to think she was being petty, accepting a deal from a manager Julie had declined. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she was done rinsing all the soap out of her hair and off her body she turned off the water and shivered at the sudden chill. Grabbing her robe from behind the door Carrie brushed her fingers through the smaller knots in her hair then ran her brush through it, blow drying it to ensure she dried every strand. Once she was dry she walked back to her room and got dressed, not really caring about what her outfit of the day was going to be. She dug through her drawer and pulled out a pair of old jeans, then grabbed a random school shit from her closet. She took a deep breath, then looked at herself in the full-length mirror she had hung by her closet. Carrie was impressed by how well she managed to clean herself up from the previous night. Her eyes were no longer bloodshot, and the tear streaks down her face were gone. She brushed her teeth, so the taste of bile was washed down the sink along with the last remaining physical evidence of Caleb’s attack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She almost looked normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a sigh Carrie pulled her hair up into a low ponytail, using a random color scrunchie from her desk. She blended a little bit of concealer makeup over her bruises to the point where it was caked on. From looking at herself in the mirror she couldn’t see the marks anymore and counted it as a win. Grabbing Alex’s sweatshirt from her bed she wrapped it around her waist and tied it tightly, a reminder that there was some good that came from the horror she had faced. Double checking the time again, her clock’s red LED letters blinked back eight-thirty. She was going to be later than she originally planned, but her first few classes didn’t have anything important planned for the day. Carrie mentally braced herself once more then shouldered her bag and entered the garage where her dad’s driver was waiting to take her to school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alex,” Carrie said as she walked up to the front doors of the arts school. “I don’t know if you can hear me… but I hope you know how much you helped me last night.” Taking one last inhale of fresh air, she pushed open the school’s doors and walked into the school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first half of her day, granted she only had three periods left, but the first half of her day went by without an incident. She hung closely to the Dirty Candy girls, and tried to hold back a wince whenever a locker was slammed shut with just a bit too much force. They didn’t even notice something was wrong with her, not that she was being obvious about the previous night’s events. It was lunch when something happened. Everything just got too </span>
  <em>
    <span>loud</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Carrie didn’t know where the song was coming from, or if it was just her hallucinating the sound. She glanced at Julie to see if she was noticing anything, but her ex-friend was just laughing at a joke Flynn said. Carrie could </span>
  <em>
    <span>hear</span>
  </em>
  <span> it though, it was his song, Caleb’s. The song that Caleb hummed while he - Carrie dropped her slice of pizza back onto her plate and covered her mouth, holding back the bile that was climbing it’s way up her throat. “Carrie, are you okay?” One of her friends asked, placing a hand on her back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Carrie said, voice pitched in an obvious lie. “I’m fine,” she gagged again then crossed the cafeteria and bent over the trash can throwing up what little food she had left in her stomach. “Shit,” Carrie cursed as her stomach queased again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie what’s wrong?” A new voice asked, Carrie looked to her left to see Julie hovering nearby. A look of sudden realization crossed Julie’s face as she glanced down at the sweatshirt tied around Carrie’s waist. Julie made a grab for it, but Carrie backed away from her, pushing the trash cans away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get away from me!” Carrie yelled out as Julie tried to make another grab for Alex’s sweatshirt. Carrie kept a hand holding onto the knot at her waist, keeping the sweatshirt where she could feel it. She ignored Julie’s concerned calls in the distance as Carrie sprinted for the bathroom, choking back more throw up and unshed tears as she went. Once she was alone in the bathroom she let the sobs roll off of her in waves. After coughing up what little food she had left in her stomach Carrie leaned against a stall door and sunk to the tiled ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie, are you in here?” Julie asked, knocking lightly on the bathroom door. Carrie sobbed in response, horrified that her competition had to see her like this. She untied Alex’s sweatshirt from her waist and hugged it close to her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go away,” Carrie choked out, body shaking uncontrollably. Julie started to take a few steps closer to her, and Carrie scooted further away from her, pressing her back against the bathroom wall. Her breathing quickly morphed into something closer to hyperventilation, quick uncontrolled breaths as the world crashed around her. The air next to Carrie shimmered and she let out a whimper, thinking Caleb had returned. A familiar pair of eyes met hers though, and she knew who they belonged to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Carrie,” Alex said softly as he crouched low to show her he meant no harm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alex what’s happening?” Julie asked from her spot in the doorway. Alex ignored her and kept his focus on Carrie. Carrie, who was currently feeling like her world was getting destroyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alex I - </span>
  <em>
    <span>help</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Carrie called out, blindly reaching out for him. Alex wrapped his hand around hers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alex -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> Julie!” Alex hissed and Carrie let out a whimper, curling further into herself. “It’s okay,” Alex said, reverting back to his calming tone. Carrie started to follow the slow breathing pattern Alex had set.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought I heard - I heard -” Carrie choked out as her breathing started to return to normal. Alex’s eyebrows furrowed together as concern reflected in his eyes. Carrie breathed heavily, relaxing her grip on Alex’s hoodie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you go Carrie,” Alex hummed as he brushed loose strands of hair out of her face. “Nothing’s going to hurt you,” he said, hesitantly wrapping an arm around her. Carrie relaxed into his hold, trying to calm the shakes raking through her body. “Willie says ‘hi’ by the way,” Alex said after a few minutes of lapsed silence. Carrie let out a weak sounding giggle, but her reaction made Alex smile. “There you go, back with Sharpay?” He asked, using the nickname he gave her after they binged the High School Musical movies. Carrie nodded then with a watery smile she said,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Ryan.” Alex’s grin grew wider and she relaxed into his arms, trying to thrive off of the warmth the drummer gave off. Julie shifted uncomfortably, fingers playing with the homemade bracelets she wears on her wrists. Carrie started to fiddle with the sleeve of Alex’s sweatshirt, which was still balled up in her lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since when can Carrie see you Alex?” Julie asked softly, slowly approaching them. Carrie let out another soft laugh,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since he poofed into my kitchen after school last weekend. Small world, huh?” Carrie asked, watching Julie sit down next to him with a weary eye. Alex shifted so he was sitting next to Carrie, left arm stretched across her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie,” Alex said slowly, “I think you should  uh…” Carrie shook her head feverishly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t Alex. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> I can’t. I could barely tell you!” She cried, burying her face into his shoulder. When she glanced back at Julie, Carrie could tell the girl was both worried </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> concerned for her. Alex gripped his arm tighter, grounding Carrie further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe in you Care,” Alex said softly. “You can’t keep these things bottled up inside. Do you know what caused your panic attack this time?” Caleb’s song floated through her memory and she gave Alex a short nod in response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard it… I heard </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Carrie said, fear etched into her voice. Alex’s fingers interlocked with hers, a silent promise that he’d keep her safe. Julie sat in front of them on the bathroom floor, and Carrie knew what she was going to ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie…” Julie started, unsure of how to talk to her ex-friend. “Who did you hear?” Carrie glanced to Alex who nodded in support. Carrie took a shaky breath as she answered, wanting to melt into the floor at the mere thought of the man’s name… if she could even call him that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Caleb,” Carrie said. She looked down at her hands, ashamed she even knew the name of her attacker. She missed the look of anger Julie and Alex shared with each other. “He said his name was Caleb Covington.” When Carrie looked back at Alex and Julie their faces showed nothing but pure hatred for the man she named. Julie’s face was red, and she was breathing heavily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!” Alex growled as he got so angry he flickered, and Carrie fell through him landing on the bathroom floor. Carrie couldn’t remember a time Julie looked so pissed off. The closest time she could remember was when they were ten and Carlos pranked them by putting Nair in their shampoo during a sleepover. Carrie squeaked,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know him?” She asked. Julie nodded in response, surprising Carrie when she wrapped her arms around her in a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Julie answered in a way that told Carrie there was definitely a long story behind the relationship Caleb had with Julie and her bandmates. “You could say that.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yell at me on Tumblr: @Random-Nerd-3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Carrie learns the truth about her dad and gets caught up to speed on all things ghost-y.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When everyone was in the room Carrie suddenly felt more anxious than usual. The guitarist and bassist from Julie’s band, Luke and Reggie, appeared after Julie somehow sent them a message saying she needed them. They were both apprehensive when the saw Carrie was in the room, and she couldn’t blame them for that. She’d treated Julie horribly for the past year and a half… Carrie would have to work her ass off to salvage any kind of friendship with her. Alex stuck by Carrie's side, an unmoving grounding presence she would forever be grateful for. Carrie was wearing Alex’s sweatshirt, the initial confusion passed and they settled onto the floor across from them. It was cute how Julie seemed to just gravitate to Reggie and Luke, Luke more so, leaning into his chest. “What’s going on?” Luke asked, concern written across his face. Julie reached forward and grabbed Carrie’s hand while Flynn eyed her warily from her seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You got this,” Alex said, wrapping a supportive arm around her shoulders. Carrie looked up from the ground and met Julie’s eyes, shining in concern. Julie nodded at Carrie, encouraging her to tell her story again. Carrie took a deep breath, then started to recounter her brief interaction with Caleb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was the week after you guys performed at the Orpheum,” Carrie started slowly. Her breath shuddered as she tried to pluck up the courage to say more. Luke and Reggie didn’t interrupt her with questions, sensing the situation was far more serious than they originally thought. “I was writing music in a practice room after school, everyone else had gone home for the most part…” She dropped Julie’s hand and turned away from them, ashamed. “A man, Caleb, walked in saying he was a manager for some label. He mentioned something about a deal then he -” She cut herself off, unable to actually say the words. Carrie missed the looks Luke exchanged with the other band members.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay Carrie,” Alex said, “take your time.” After a few shaky breaths, Carrie managed to compose herself again and continue with her story.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said you guys turned him down and offered me a chance to perform at his club… but he didn’t want uh, like me for my music...” Carrie said, trailing off unsure of how much she should say. Flynn’s face twisted into something that resembled disgust and Carrie knew she put two and two together. “He just wanted me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> him!” Flynn said, surprising both Carrie and Julie. Carrie glanced at her, confused. “Carrie, you may not be a nice person, but no one deserves to be treated like… like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Carrie frowned,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you hate me…” she said, honestly confused about Flynn’s sudden protectiveness. Flynn shook her head,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No I don’t.” There was a beat of silence then, “well, I hate how talented you are but I don’t hate you</span>
  <em>
    <span>, you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Reggie let out a snort,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Descriptive Flynn.” Carrie just launched herself at Flynn and wrapped her arms around her, luckily Flynn returned her hug otherwise the situation would’ve gotten awkward fast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Carrie managed to say through her tears. Flynn patted Carrie’s back then they both let go of each other. For some reason Luke shifted uncomfortably. Julie just rolled her eyes and pulled Carrie in for her </span>
  <em>
    <span>own</span>
  </em>
  <span> hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ignore him,” Julie said with a laugh, “crying girls make him nervous.” Luke managed to look offended,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> make me nervous!” Luke insisted, voice jumping a few octaves higher than normal. Carrie let out a soft chuckle, before they all settled back into their original seating arrangements. Reggie’s eyebrows furrowed together, fingers plucking at the strings of his bass, which he held in his lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reggie, what’s up?” Alex asked, noticing the bassist’s strange behavior. Reggie glanced at Carrie then said,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mentioned something about Caleb talking about a deal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I was too preoccupied by the fact an evil demon-ghost was attacking me to ask him about the details,” Carrie said, sarcasm seeping into her voice. Reggie winced,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, but if Caleb was telling you about a deal it wasn’t on accident.” Carrie looked to Alex, who nodded in agreement. Carrie thought back to her brief conversation with the demon in question. The song haunted her mind, but she tried to focus on what Caleb was saying instead of the haunting melody that played quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was… he mentioned something about a kid named Bobby?” Carrie said, and she realized just how horribly Julie and her friends were at acting chill. Julie exchanged a look with Alex,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you tell Carrie about Bobby yet?” Julie asked. It sounded like she was speaking in some sort of code, like there was a secret Carrie wasn’t in on yet. Alex hesitated, then a look of guilt crossed his face as he shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not yet, I was going to soon though…” Alex said as his fingers picked at the ends of his sleeve. A feeling of dread crawled up Carrie’s spine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Bobby?” Carrie asked, eying the boys carefully. Luke answered,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was our rhythm guitarist… when we died he stole the music from our original band and blew up.” Reggie nodded solemnly,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Three platinum records…” Reggie said wistfully. Carrie frowned in confusion, turning to Alex for answers she asked,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do I have to do with Bobby? Why would his deal with this… Hollywood demon from hell… have anything to do with me?” Alex glanced at Julie, who nodded at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s time she knew the whole story Alex… </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of it.” Alex’s expression turned grim as he faced Carrie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie, I’m sorry but…” Alex trailed off, and Carrie could see the anxiety building as his fingers tapped his knee faster. “Uh, your dad is Bobby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That can’t be true,” Carrie said, hoping the ghosts would shout </span>
  <em>
    <span>just kidding</span>
  </em>
  <span> and everything would go back to normal. She looked at Julie, who avoided her gaze by looking down and fiddling with her Pride bracelets. Carrie looked back at Alex, scanning his face for any hint of a joke. “My dad… why would he make a deal with Caleb?” She asked, wanting to crawl into her bed and never go out again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who knows?” Reggie said with a tired shrug. “When he came for us Caleb pried on our insecurities and deepest dreams. Maybe he did the same to Bobby back then.” A whooshing sound filled the room and Carrie cowardly leaned towards Alex, who was focused on the shimmering air. Instead of the new ghost being Caleb though, a boy with long dark brown hair fell onto the studio floor. Alex immediately poofed to his side and Carrie hit the ground when he left her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Willie!” Alex cried out as the new ghost, Willie, winced in pain. The others hung back, so Carrie did as well. Judging by how close Alex and Willie seemed to be, Carrie assumed this was the Willie Alex spent all hours of the day gushing over. After watching them exchange a quick, yet passionate kiss her assumptions were confirmed. “What happened, did Caleb hurt you for helping us?” Alex asked, worry seeping into his voice. Wille seemed to be doing better after their kiss, but he still grimaced when Alex shifted so Willie could lean into his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but that’s not why I’m here.” Willie let out a pained groan as a bright light flashed across his abdomen. Reggie and Luke winced in sympathy, like they knew what the jolts felt like. To Carrie’s surprise he looked straight at her, “Caleb wants Carrie.” A heavy silence fell in the room as they all processed what Willie said. Uneasiness started to boil under Carrie’s skin as she started to put two and two together, theorizing what happened between her dad and Caleb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Luke,” Julie said quietly, a hint of hope in her eyes. “You don’t think Bobby would have made a deal with Caleb, do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know Jules,” Luke responded, voice dry and unhopeful. “When we knew him he wouldn’t have done something like that, but after we died?” He hesitated, and Reggie spoke up,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He might’ve done something. Like, he wasn’t anything special music-wise. Luke was the songwriter, so maybe he made a deal with Caleb about trading his kid for fame or something…” Carrie choked back a heart wrenching sob, wondering how the hell her </span>
  <em>
    <span>father</span>
  </em>
  <span> would be capable of making a deal with Caleb. The warmth of Alex’s sweatshirt was comforting, but it wasn’t enough to stop the feeling of dread that was starting to crawl it’s way up Carrie’s spine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need to talk to my dad,” Carrie said after they sat in heavy silence, aside from Willie’s occasional wince of pain. Alex looked at her like she was insane.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can’t do that,” Alex insisted, fear etched across his face. Carrie shook her head,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You won’t be doing anything. He doesn’t know I know, and we need more information before we plan something.” Julie still looked like she wanted one of the guys to go with her, but eventually she nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Carrie’s right Alex. It’s dangerous, but it’s our best bet,” Julie said. Carrie shot her a look of appreciation. Maybe this whole thing started off as a cosmic joke. Some interdimensional being having a laugh at sending Julie three ghost boys in order to form a band. It’s something different now, something </span>
  <em>
    <span>important</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Thanks to her dad, if she could even call him that anymore, Carrie was at the center of it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yell at me on Tumblr: @Random-Nerd-3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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